Sailing - Marblehead Current

Corinthian Yacht Club places second in the Rolex International Invitational Cup

18Sep

By Leigh Blander and Laurie FullertonNo Comments

Local News, Recreation, Sailing, Sports, Top Stories

Corinthian Yacht Club places second in the Rolex International Invitational Cup

Nineteen teams from 14 countries competed in the eighth Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, a biennial regatta hosted by the New York Yacht Club in Newport, Rhode Island. Marblehead’s Corinthian Yacht Club, a first-time participant in this invitational, placed second with 54 points. Since the event was first run in 2009, it has attracted top amateur sailors from 51 of the world's most prestigious yacht clubs from 22 countries. The San Diego Yacht Club won the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup delivering aconsistently strong performance over the week with a score of 43 points overall. Photo of the Corinthian Yacht Club team sailing upwind during the recent Rolex International Invitational event in Newport. COURTESY PHOTOS / BRUCE DURKEE A fleet of spinnakers fro...

14Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Environment, Local News, Public safety, Sailing, Top Stories

Harbormaster: Best advice is to ‘prepare for the worst’

Marblehead Harbormaster Mark Souza is keeping a close eye on Hurricane Lee as it heads up the Atlantic coast. According to the National Weather Service, "Lee should bring rough surf and possible storm surge flooding, damaging winds, and bands of heavy rain to at least coastal areas of Massachusetts and Rhode Island." As of Thursday morning, Lee was about 800 miles south of Nantucket. Souza is adding on-call staff to handle any problems with the stormy weather which he predicts will hit Marblehead overnight Friday. "We're just recommending that the public use the opportunity today and tomorrow to secure equipment on boats ... if they can haul their boat to do that," Souza told the Current, adding that he is seeing people take their boats out of the water. "We have our boats re...

Ex-Pleon Yacht Club director faces child porn charge

25Aug

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Nonprofit corner, Public safety, Sailing, Top Stories

Ex-Pleon Yacht Club director faces child porn charge

Pleon Yacht Club, a Marblehead nonprofit that runs summer sailing programs for kids and teenagers, said in a Friday morning email that a former program director was arrested last week in Virginia on a child pornography charge dating to November 2022. Kieran O'Connell, who oversaw Pleon's summer programs in 2020 and 2021, was arrested Sunday in Saluda, Virginia, and charged with one count of possession of child pornography, the Pleon's Board members David Romagnoli and Celia Dressel wrote in a statement. “We have been in contact with the appropriate sheriff’s office in Virginia,” Dressel and Romagnoli wrote. “The sheriff’s investigator has informed us that, while their investigation still continues, there is no reason to believe that any Pleon sailors or empl...

More than three dozen boats compete in Ted Hood Regatta

23Aug

By Laurie FullertonNo Comments

Local News, Sailing, Sports, Top Stories

More than three dozen boats compete in Ted Hood Regatta

The Storm Trysail Ted Hood Regatta this past weekend featured 38 boats in five different classes, which gave competitors in the J/70 and J/105 fleets their own starting line while also including three divisions for the ORR (Offshore Racing Rule), PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet) Spinnaker and PHRF Jim and Main. The event is organized by the Storm Trysail Club out of Larchmont, New York, and hosted by Eastern Yacht Club with support from Corinthian and Boston Yacht Clubs. Each year, the Storm Trysail Club awards a special trophy named after the late Steve Cruse, a Marblehead sailmaker who worked at Hood Sailmakers, Doyle Sailmakers and North Sailmakers. Steve Cruse was a great sailor, great shipmate, and friend to many sailors in Marblehead and shared with others his knowledge a...

Classic yachts compete in Corinthian regatta

21Aug

By Joe McConnellNo Comments

Life Style, Local News, Sailing, Sports

Classic yachts compete in Corinthian regatta

The Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta (CCYR), presented by Doyle Sailmakers, took place Aug. 12 and 13. This annual event is sailed off Marblehead Harbor and hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club. Black Watch, skippered by Trevor Fetter of Newport, R.I. came out on top. Van Brown’s Neith of Mystic, Connecticut, was second. Matt Brooks’ Dorade of Newport came in third. COURTESY PHOTO / BRUCE DURKEE Marblehead’s Greg Mancusi-Ung skippered his Viking boat to a 12th-place finish during the annual Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta earlier this month in Marblehead Harbor. Finishing next: Lars Forsberg’s Vintage Schooner Spirit, also of Newport; Marblehead’s David Walton’s Black Magic; Marblehead’s Marc Migliazzo’s Vagabond; Marblehead’s Quin Vaillancourt’s Rozi; Marblehead’s Tom Egan’s Mis...

16Aug

By Nancy MarrsNo Comments

Community resources, Local News, Sailing

Dollars for Scholars profile: Ryan Hamilton

Ryan Hamilton always knew he wanted to study business in college. His father is a businessman, his mother had her own interior design firm and his grandfather was an entrepreneur. He entered the University of Vermont as a business administration major and explored finance and marketing before declaring a concentration in business analytics and a minor in computer science. Ryan Hamilton talks about how Dollars for Scholars set up him up for success. “I really enjoy finding solutions to business problems through data and I can see how that can apply to every single business,” said the recent college graduate. The first two years of Hamilton’s education were academically rigorous and his junior and senior years focused mostly on project-based work where he had to apply what he learn...

‘Header finishes in top three in Town Class Nationals

10Aug

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local News, Sailing

‘Header finishes in top three in Town Class Nationals

COURTESY PHOTO: BRUCE DURKEE Marblehead was host to the Town Class Nationals this month with 24 boats on the line over two days of racing. More than 15 sailors were from Marblehead. After seven races, first place went to Nick Cann on Tonic with 14 points. Second place went to Rex Atrim on Albatross with 21 points and third place went to 'Header David Cooke on Auflitzen. The Town Class awards were given out by host club Corinthian Yacht Club.

RACE WEEK: Diverse boat classes showcase sailing traditions in Marblehead

1Aug

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Culture, Life Style, Local News, Sailing, Top Stories, Uncategorized

RACE WEEK: Diverse boat classes showcase sailing traditions in Marblehead

Generations of sailors have gathered in Marblehead Harbor for over a century, drawn back each summer to one of America’s longest consecutively-run regattas. A diverse range of boat classes, from classic to modern, competed during Marblehead Race Week July 27-30. COURTESY PHOTOS / BRUCE DURKEE. The 130th Marblehead Race Week tested veterans and newcomers alike as winds shifted over four days of racing from July 27-30. Hundreds of sailors, young and old, competed in 145 boats during the classic New England regatta hosted by the Boston, Eastern and Corinthian Yacht Clubs. Some traveled from as far as California and Canada. The fleets included sleek International One-Design sailboats, the classic Town sailboats with their large sails and the compact Rhodes 19 sailboats. Ten modern J/...

Fast Mermaid Pursuit Race supports Marblehead domestic violence survivor

27Jul

By Laurie FullertonNo Comments

Local News, Recreation, Sailing

Fast Mermaid Pursuit Race supports Marblehead domestic violence survivor

Now in its second year, the Fast Mermaid Pursuit Race, held on Sunday, July 23, featured 54 boats in a race off Marblehead as part of a fundraiser event organized by friends, family and the Boston and Eastern Yacht Clubs for Lindsay Smith, a Marblehead sailor and domestic violence survivor. Jud Smith, along with his wife Cindy, daughter Lindsay, and team, raced on AFRICA last Sunday. At the helm is race organizer Robert ‘Bump’ Wilcox. COURTESY PHOTOS / BRUCE DURKEE Pursuit racing is a variant of racing where boats start in reverse order, with their start times pre-determined by their ratings and the course length. The diverse fleet of boats enabled many in the sailing community to come together to compete and show support for the Smith family, who are a multigenerational sailing fam...

Triumph on the water: Awards distributed at Marblehead Junior Race Week

26Jul

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Life Style, Local News, Recreation, Sailing, Sports, Top Stories, Uncategorized

Triumph on the water: Awards distributed at Marblehead Junior Race Week

Awards for the Marblehead Junior Race Week were distributed Wednesday afternoon. The waters of Marblehead Harbor bustled with activity this week as nearly 240 young sailors participated in the annual event. Hosted by Pleon Yacht Club, the event showcased spirited competition across various fleets. Sailors from yacht clubs throughout New England, including those from Harraseeket in Maine and Hingham, Massachusetts, joined the races. Here's a roundup of the top performers, ordered from first place to third place, with photos provided by Celia Dressel: 420 Champ Fleet The 420 is a two-person sailing dinghy known for its responsive handling and versatility. It's a favorite in youth and high school sailing as well as club racing. Sander Skaane and Dylan Cafferty, Zingy 5.0,...